The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the environmental effects of the disposal of imported (a) animal blood, faeces and urine and (b) other biological by-products in rural areas of the UK.
Rory Stewart
We have no plans to make such an assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hannah Bardell on 2016-03-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether officials of (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) Border Force and (c) trading standards services are being trained in the use of Codentify to authenticate tobacco products.
Damian Hinds
Tobacco products classified as ‘illicit’ in the UK include anything on which duty has not been paid but should have been paid. This includes counterfeit products, brands manufactured legally overseas but not legally sold in the UK, and genuine products originating in the UK and overseas but diverted from legitimate supply chains by criminals. Because of this, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers use a variety of ways to identify illicit product. Testing product authenticity is one mechanism.
To test product authenticity, HMRC uses identifiers required by legislation, for example, Fiscal Marks which manufacturers are required to print on specified tobacco products to show they are UK duty paid, as well as voluntary tools used by the manufacturers. One such voluntary tool is Codentify.
Codentify was developed and introduced by the major tobacco manufacturers on their own initiative through the Digital Coding and Tracking Association (DCTA). HMRC played no part in the development or introduction of the system nor did HMRC require that it be introduced. Codentify codes already feature on packs and are there regardless of any HMRC use of them. HMRC took a policy decision, in line with the commitment to tackle illicit tobacco, to examine whether these existing codes could provide a useful additional tool to help officers authenticate product in the field.
The trial is concerned only with the use of Codentify for product authentication, and no other aspect of the system is being used or evaluated. Codentify requires no specialist equipment or training. Officers are provided with basic guidance and access to an online system. No charge is made for use of the system and, as no procurement was needed, there was no requirement for HMRC to run a tender exercise. As this is a trial only, no Ministerial approval was required or has been sought.
A number of HMRC officers have been given access to the system and trained by HMRC colleagues. The time spent on this activity is minimal and is estimated to be less than one staff year in total.
HMRC has explained the use of Codentify as a potential product authentication tool to colleagues in Border Force and Trading Standards. However, they have not provided training to any officers in those organisations.
The EU Tobacco Products Directive introduces a requirement for a pan European security feature and track and trace systems. The European Commission, working with Member States, is considering proposals and have yet to determine any technical specifications,
HMRC is aware of a wide range of potential track and trace and security feature solutions on the market. They are not evaluating, and, given the current position on the Directive, could not evaluate any products against its requirements. The aspects of Codentify being used are entirely separate from the requirements of the Directive.
In accordance with regulatory requirements, when technical specifications are determined, HMRC will ensure that any evaluation against them ensures no unfair competitive advantage or obstacles to competition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the use of nirolumab and ipilimumab to treat skin cancer.
George Freeman
We have had no such discussions.
Nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy) does not currently have a marketing authorisation in the United Kingdom for treating advanced or unresectable melanoma.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the treatment of advanced, unresectable melanoma. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in September 2016.
In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients on assessment and treatment units have been diagnosed with mental health conditions in the last 12 months.
Alistair Burt
Access to an independent mental health advocacy (IMHA) is a statutory right for people detained under most sections of the Mental Health Act, subject to Guardianship or on a community treatment order. We would expect Assessment and Treatment Units to follow their statutory obligations to ensure patients have access to an IMHA where appropriate.
The Learning Disability Assuring Transformation statistics data shows that of the 2,565 inpatients at the end of April 2016, 600 patients had a main diagnostic category of mental illness on admission.
Data on the numbers of formal complaints made about patient care; the management of assessment and treatment units; access to autism-specialist services and access to occupational and speech and language therapy are not held centrally. However, NHS England, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and Local Government Association, published in October 2015, a Service Model for commissioners of health and social care services. This model sets out that when people are admitted to inpatient settings services should seek to minimise their length of stay and any admissions should be supported by a clear rationale of planned assessment and treatment with measurable outcomes. We would therefore expect all patients, irrespective of inpatient setting, to have access to the treatment and therapeutic interventions they require.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-07-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many schools Design and Technology is not part of the curriculum.
Lord Nash
Design and Technology (D&T) is part of the national curriculum, and is therefore a compulsory subject in maintained schools for pupils aged 5 to 14. The national curriculum is a benchmark of an excellent, academically rigorous education that academies can use and improve upon. The Department does not collect information on how many schools do not include D&T as part of their curriculum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has made representations to the Department of Transport on negotiations on the bilateral agreement regulating direct flights between the UK and the People’s Republic of China.
David Mundell
On Tuesday 11 October, following successful negotiations in London, the UK Government announced an agreement between the UK and China to more than double the number of flights allowed to operate between the two countries, lifting all limits on cargo services and the number of destinations that can be served. Transport Scotland and representatives from both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were present at these negotiations, and the agreement will provide economic opportunities right across the UK, including Scotland.
Visits from China to the UK are on the increase, with 2015 figures up 46% on 2014 to almost 270,000, and spend rising by 18% to £586 million during that same period. This moves China into the UK’s top 10 most valuable inbound markets, and provides yet another positive example that it is a strong United Kingdom with a strong global voice that is the union which matters to Scotland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that protective clothing is provided to hospital workers treating victims of Ebola in (a) Sierra Leone and (b) Liberia.
Justine Greening
There are currently no active cases in either of the countries. However, DFID continues to work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and international partners to maintain and develop the systems, structures and capabilities needed to respond effectively should they be needed. Measures to protect healthcare workers and other frontline responders from infection are an important element of this preparedness. DFID has provided Personal Protective Equipment compliant with WHO standards to all of our UK funded facilities throughout this epidemic via our dedicated supply chain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Attorney General, how many Crown Prosecution Service staff worked on (a) referrals for suspected non-compliance with minimum wage legislation and (b) prosecutions for non-compliance with minimum wage legislation in each of the last five years.
Robert Buckland
All cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the purposes of considering a prosecution for an offence contrary to national minimum wage legislation, are dealt with by the Specialist Fraud Division. The number of people dealing with such cases at any given time depends on the number of cases received and how they are allocated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial contribution Transport for London made to the British Transport Police in each of the last five financial years.
Claire Perry
The table below sets out the financial contribution that Transport for London has made to the British Transport Police in each of the last five financial years.
|
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
£000s |
£000s |
£000s |
£000s |
£000s |
|
58,200 |
60,364 |
61,473 |
62,899 |
63,486 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the (a) Army Reserve, (b) Royal Auxiliary Air Force and (c) Royal Navy Reserve have signed terms and conditions of service under the New Employment Model.
Mr Julian Brazier
The terms and conditions (TACOS) of all UK Armed Forces personnel are subject to a rolling programme of change under the New Employment Model (NEM), which is modernising Pay and Allowances; Accommodation; Training and Education; and Career Structures and Career Management. Where appropriate this will include Reserves. Personnel are not required to sign new TACOS in order to benefit from relevant changes, which will continue to be rolled out until 2020.